Talking Trees with Davey Tree - podcast cover

Talking Trees with Davey Tree

The Davey Tree Expert Companywww.davey.com

Your trees and landscapes require year-round care, and The Davey Tree Expert Company is here to help provide you with expert advice. Join our professional Davey arborists and gardening-expert host Doug Oster to learn all about caring for your properties. We'll talk about introduced pests, seasonal tree care, tree diseases, arborists' favorite trees, how to help your trees thrive and everything in between. Tune in every Thursday because here at the Talking Trees Podcast, we know trees are the answer. 

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Episodes

Spring vs Fall - When is the Best Season to Plant?

Dan Hager from Hartney Greymont, a Davey company, in Concord, talks about the fall and spring planting seasons. In this episode we cover: When to plant a tree (0:48) Mistakes homeowners make when planting (1:16) Planting potted plants (2:00) Caring for roots in potted plants (2:38) Utilizing native soil (3:47) Planting bigger vs planting smaller (4:17) Spring planting (4:47) Watering newly planted trees (5:38) Dan's seasonal preferences (6:17) Dan's favorite trees to plant (6:52) The importance ...

Oct 12, 202315 minSeason 3Ep. 40

Pros and Cons of Leaving the Leaves on Your Lawn

Mat Garey from Davey's Detroit Lawncare office gives you a reason to not rake your yard by sharing the benefits of mulching and composting your leaves. In this episode we cover: Do you have to rake your leaves? (0:40) Mulching leaves correctly (0:59) Mulching equipment (2:20) Benefits of leaving your leaves (2:52) How to use leaves in your garden (5:25) Protecting your trees from leaf build up (6:45) Handling leaves in the winter (8:08) Handling leftover leaves in the spring (9:15) Keeping leave...

Oct 05, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 39

Why Proper Soil Care is So Important for Your Trees

Brad McBride from Davey's West Cleveland office talks about why soil care is vital for tree health, how to check the health of your soil and what else can be done to improve it. In this episode we cover: Making soil simple (0:35) How do you test soil? (1:57) Arbor Green PRO ® (3:10) Two-step soil care program (5:13) Watering (6:33) Air spading services (7:42) Vertical mulching and mulch rings (9:59) (12:35) (14:34) Is drought or too much rain worse? (10:44) How Brad started working in tree care ...

Sep 28, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 38

Tree Appraisals -The Value of Trees

R.J. Laverne , manager of education and training at the Davey Institute, talks about what he does as a tree appraiser, including occasionally working in a courtroom. In this episode we cover: How to determine what a tree is worth (0:53) Why find the value of your tree? (1:43) Trees in real estate (4:55) Being an objective appraiser (7:08) What an appraiser looks for (8:34) How to quantify a tree's product (11:02) How often do tree appraisals happen? (13:48) Appraisals in a courtroom (14:30) To f...

Sep 21, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 37

Considerations for Growing in a Hot Climate

Madison Law from Davey's South Houston office talks about working in locations with extreme heat and her Davey experience. In this episode we cover: How Madison works in extreme heat (1:15) What Madison does for Davey (2:53) Houston in the winter (4:01) How Houston trees handle extreme weather (5:30) Optimal time to plant in Southern states (6:31) Live Oaks & White Oaks (8:46) Trees Madison loves (10:13) How Madison became an arborist (12:00) Madison's experience in the male dominated indust...

Sep 14, 202321 minSeason 3Ep. 36

Best Trees for New Homeowners - Budget Friendly and Low Maintenance

Taylor Judd from Davey's East Denver office talks about important factors to consider when planting a new tree and his recommendations for the Colorado area. In this episode we cover: Summer rain and heat stress in Colorado (0:50) Growing trees in Colorado (3:22) Should you add fertilizer when planting new trees? (4:54) Root flare (6:01) Handling a grade in your yard (6:57) Mulching new plantings (7:24) Colorado Tree Recommendations: Burr oak, Redbud, Sensation maple, Chanticleer pear (8:55), (1...

Sep 07, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 35

Why Fall is the Best Season for Lawn Care PART 2

Zane Raudenbush, turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute, talks about why fall is an optimal time to aerate your lawn and control your weeds. In this episode we cover: Is fall the best time to aerate? (0:36) What to do with aerate by-product (4:09) How often to sharpen your lawn mower blade (5:21) Lawn mower blade safety (6:26) Optimal grass height (8:41) Davey's experience with weeds (10:34) Why fall is the best time for weed control (11:42) Lawn care is in the eye of the behol...

Aug 31, 202323 minSeason 3Ep. 34

Why Fall is the Best Season for Lawn Care PART 1

Zane Raudenbush, turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute, talks about why fall is prime lawn care season and what to do during the fall to keep your lawn healthy. In this episode we cover: Why end of summer is best for lawn care(00:51) Which cool season grass is right for me? (2:58) How dry conditions impacted seeds planed in spring (5:52) Raking turf (7:46) Managing larger areas of turf (9:08) Using straw to protect growing turf (11:07) Fall lawn maintenance (15:24) Fall fertil...

Aug 24, 202325 minSeason 3Ep. 33

The History of Davey Tree

Matt Fredmonsky, manager of corporate content at Davey, shares his knowledge about the history of Davey Tree, from John Davey's start in tree care to the employee acquisition. In this episode we cover: John Davey (0:45) Davey's move to the U.S. (2:41) The Tree Doctor (4:00) Building Davey Tree (5:13) Davey's Employee Ownership (6:09) Benefits of Employee Ownership (7:48) Davey Tree in the 1980s (8:36) Davey Archives (9:50) Doug's history with Davey (11:25) A Focus on Employee Education (12:03) D...

Aug 17, 202317 minSeason 3Ep. 32

Preparing Trees for Storm Season

David Horvath from Davey’s Lake Bluff, office talks about the importance of having arborists inspect your trees before a storms, so you can keep your home safe. In this episode we cover: First thing arborists look for during storm prep (00:58) What homeowners can do to help arborists during storm prep (1:46) What an arborists is looking for (2:56) Oak Decline (3:31) The best time of year for arborists to assess trees (4:53) What time period has the worst storms (7:23) David's experience as an ar...

Aug 10, 202319 minSeason 3Ep. 31

How to Identify Your Trees

Luke Werner from Davey's North Pittsburgh office shares how you can learn how to identify the different types of trees in your yard. In this episode we cover: Looking at the big picture (0:53) Conifer Trees (1:33) Deciduous trees (1:53) How Luke learned to ID trees (2:03) The shape of your tree (2:40) Leaves (3:55) Evergreen leaves (4:05) Deciduous leaves (4:48) MADcap buck (5:28) Simple leaves (6:32) Compound leaves (6:44) Do most homeowners know their trees? (8:01) Dawn Redwoods (10:04) Trees ...

Aug 03, 202322 minSeason 3Ep. 30

Why Caterpillars Matter + A Spotted Lanternfly Update

Adam Baker, technical advisor with the Davey Institute discusses all things caterpillars, including their benefit and specific species like the hickory horn devil, bagworm and monarch. Adam also shares the silver lining of the spotted lanternfly invasion hitting the East Coast. In this episode we cover: Most common caterpillars during each season (1:08) Is the hickory horn devil harmful? (3:00) Which butterflies are harmful to pawpaw trees (4:00) Benefits of caterpillars (5:01) Can caterpillars ...

Jul 27, 202322 minSeason 3Ep. 29

Fire Blight - What is it, How to Control & What Trees are Affected?

Eric Countryman from Davey's East Pittsburgh office talks about fire blight and other bacterial diseases that can impact your trees. In this episode we cover: What is fire blight (1:06) What fire blight looks like (1:39) When fire blight is most prevalent (2:13) Treating fire blight (2:55) How to prevent fire blight (4:35) How arborists handle fire blight (6:52) Off the beaten path trees to plant (8:22) Black knot disease (10:57) Apple scab disease (13:02) Using fertilizer to help tree health (1...

Jul 20, 202322 minSeason 3Ep. 28

What to do with Wood Waste - Secondary Life for Wood Products

Lou Meyer, business developer for Davey's mid-Atlantic region, talks about how Davey arborist deal with wood wastes and different ways to give wood a secondary life. In this episode we cover: Where does wood waste go? (3:37) Composting wood (5:19) Unique ways to use wood waste (6:07) Can homeowners keep their wood waste? (6:34) Biochar (7:42) Ways to use wood chips (12:55) Potential concerns of wood chips(14:00) Secondary life for larger wood waste (16:18) Unique wood types (19:04) Leaving wood ...

Jul 06, 202325 minSeason 3Ep. 27

Mycorrhizal Network - Largest Living Organism

Chelsi Abbott, a technical advisor and education specialist at the Davey Institute, talks about the mycorrhizal network including how it works and how it connects to plants. In this episode we cover: What is mycorrhizae fungi (1:14) The beneficial relationship between the fungi and trees (1:59) Seeing mycelium in real life (4:07) How mycorrhizae fungi finds plants (4:45) How big mycorrhizal networks can be (6:52) How to help mycorrhizae help your plants (8:16) Things you might be doing that harm...

Jun 29, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 26

Pests vs Beneficial Insects

Thomas Whitney, technical advisor from the Davey Institute, shares some of his knowledge on different types of pests and beneficial insects. In this episode we cover: What defines a pest (0:47) Pest classifications (1:45) The worst pest for trees (2:30) Which pests homeowners notice the most (4:16) Types of leaf chewers (4:52) Types of woodborers (5:56) Emerald ash borer (6:30) Thomas' first encounter with EAB (6:37) How to deal with EAB (8:47) Is the EAB here to stay? (10:41) The importance of ...

Jun 22, 202326 minSeason 3Ep. 25

Best Summer Tree Watering Tips to Follow

Dan Cohen, from Hartney Greymont, a Davey company, in Needham, shares some expert watering tips to keep your trees hydrated all summer. In this episode we cover: What's the first thing you think of when watering trees? (00:51) Watering newly planted trees (1:28) (5:32) How rainfall has been this season (2:51) How arborists handle dry conditions (4:00) Using tree gator bags (7:15) Watering ornamental trees (8:50) Properties using drip irrigation (11:07) The best time of day to water (12:12) The r...

Jun 15, 202325 minSeason 3Ep. 24

Growth Rings, a New Book about Davey's History, is Published

Matt Fredmonsky, manager of corporate content at Davey, talks about Growth Rings, a new book about Davey's history and growth from 1962 to 2020. Matt, also author of Growth Rings , talks about what it was like to write the book and why it's important to Davey. In this episode we cover: What is Growth Rings (0:45) The writing process (2:24) Why Growth Rings was written (3:15) How Davey became employee owned (4:25) How the Davey family reacted to employee ownership (10:00) What it means to be an e...

Jun 08, 202321 minSeason 3Ep. 23

Pet-Friendly Landscape Tips

Miles Stephens from Davey's South Pittsburgh office shares advice on how to maintain a healthy landscape as a dog owner. In this episode we cover: Having a designated area for your dog (1:13) Maintaining your turf lawn with a dog (2:27) Plants harmful to dogs (3:22) Pet-friendly grass (6:21) Hardscaping your garden (7:03) Ways to provide shade for your dogs (8:43) Being a responsible dog owner (10:24) Seasonal tree trends (12:52) Protecting your household from ticks (15:12) To find your local Da...

Jun 01, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 22

Summer Tree Checklist

Emily Mumford from Davey's South St Paul office shares tips on how to best care for trees in the summer. In this episode we cover: What's the first thing an arborist looks for during a summer property check? (0:36) Tree pruning assessment (0:54) How often should you have an arborist visit your property? (1:30) Summer mulching (2:03) Specific types of mulch (3:09) St Paul's winter last year (6:43) St Paul's spring (7:47) Why Emily enjoys being an arborist (8:55) (16:05) Watering in the summer (13...

May 25, 202318 minSeason 3Ep. 21

What is Beech Leaf Disease? Learn the Signs

Brad McBride from Davey's West Cleveland office shares some input on what this "new" disease is, where it started, how to spot it and what can be done about it. In this episode we cover: What is beech leaf disease (BLD)? (0:41) When and where was it discovered? (1:25) Signs of BLD and other diseases it may look like (2:27) Is BLD always fatal? (7:05) Future of BLD (9:01) #1 thing a homeowner can do to improve tree health (10:17) Convincing people to fully commit to helping save a tree (14:53) Wh...

May 18, 202318 minSeason 3Ep. 20

Wood Borers and Woodpeckers – Helping or Hurting?

Lou Meyer, business developer for Davey’s mid-Atlantic region, talks about wood borers, woodpeckers and when to be concerned about both. In this episode we cover: Lou’s thoughts on woodpeckers (1:00) What you can do to protect your trees from woodpeckers (3:50) Sapsucker season and should you wrap your trees? (4:40) Pileated woodpeckers and why they peck (5:31) The different types of woodpeckers and should you be concerned about them (7:14) Lou’s thoughts on woodborers (8:45) Emerald Ash Borer (...

May 11, 202322 minSeason 3Ep. 19

What You Should Know About Carbon Credits

Joe Gregory, regional operations manager for the Davey Resource Group (DRG), shares some in-depth information on what carbon credits are, how businesses use them and Davey's pilot project getting familiar with them. In this episode we cover: What are carbon credits and how do they work? (0:45) How trees relate to carbon credits (5:40) Ways that big companies try to be carbon neutral (9:18) What is i-Tree and what does it do? (12:20) What Davey is doing in relation to carbon credits (15:40) Advic...

May 04, 202324 minSeason 3Ep. 18

How Hockey is Helping Plant Trees for Arbor Day

Sandee Reid, Davey’s vice president of corporate communications and strategic planning, and Danielle Crumrine, executive director of Tree Pittsburgh, talk about Davey’s partnership with Tree Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Arbor Day and the importance of consulting with a certified arborist. In this episode we cover: How Davey and Tree Pittsburgh became partners (1:00) What is Davey’s Score for the Trees partnership with the Penguins? (3:04) How they decide where the trees will be plante...

Apr 27, 202321 minSeason 3Ep. 17

Spring Turf Primer PART 2

Zane Raudenbush, turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute, answers a listener's question and talks about fertilization, soil testing, weeds and grass cutting tips. In this episode we cover: What Zane would do for a yard struggling to grow grass (0:50) Fertilization – All about fertilizing your lawn (4:20) When is the best time for seeding? (11:03) Tips for cutting grass (15:00) Dealing with nutsedge (24:40) To find your local Davey office, check out our find a local office page t...

Apr 20, 202330 minSeason 3Ep. 16

Spring Turf Primer PART 1

Zane Raudenbush, turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute, talks about invasive lawn grasses, the importance of soil testing and pH with grasses. In this episode we cover: The first questions Zane gets from clients at this point in the season & different invasive lawn grass species (1:05) What to do about invasive lawn grass species (5:30) The importance of soil testing (8:25) Does pH matter with turf grass? (11:50) The focus on soils in the turf grass community (17:15) To fi...

Apr 13, 202319 minSeason 3Ep. 15

Top Tree Planting Tips - Prepare for Arbor Day!

Jay Judd from Davey’s East Denver office talks about spring planting, the challenges in the Denver region and his favorite parts of the job. In this episode we cover: What Jay has to do differently in the Denver region (0:35) How Jay deals with the clay soil of the region (2:20) The importance of mulch and watering your trees (3:15) Deciding what size tree to plant (5:35) Jay’s favorite trees to plant in Denver (6:18) Should you use stakes with your trees? (8:35) The biggest mistakes homeowners ...

Apr 06, 202320 minSeason 3Ep. 14

Cool Projects Arborists Do – Saving Cats & Setting Up Eagle Cams

Rob Kruljac from Davey’s north Pittsburgh office talks rescuing cats from trees, installing eagle cams and educating his clients. In this episode we cover: Rob’s cat rescuing (1:08) Climbing for cat rescue vs. climbing for work (3:08) How Rob gets cats out of tree (3:45) Setting up eagle cams (6:05) How Rob started installing eagle cams (7:55) The challenges of climbing for eagle cams (8:50) How Rob gets camera equipment into the tree and how it attaches to the tree (9:50) How Rob got started in...

Mar 30, 202319 minSeason 3Ep. 13

Spring Pruning 101!

David Horvath from Davey’s Lake Bluff, IL, office talks about spring pruning, the importance of a certified arborist and how he got started with Davey. In this episode we cover: How being on the lake influences David’s work (1:27) What is being pruned now and why (2:28) Patterns and differences in pruning different trees (3:05) The technical aspects of pruning (3:40) When you can prune it yourself and when to call an expert (7:10) The art and science of pruning (8:08) Pruning small trees (8:40) ...

Mar 23, 202324 minSeason 3Ep. 12

How to Prevent Spring Pests Early

Natascha Batchelor of Hartney Greymont, a Davey company, talks about spring pest prevention, volcano mulch and unique trees. In this episode we cover: The first thing Natascha thinks about when looking at trees in spring (0:52) How Natascha decides when to use horticultural oil (1:32) Dealing with scale (2:49) Fertilization for pest prevention (3:51) What the soil is like in Cape Cod (4:46) What to do about planting in poor soil (5:24) What is Biochar? (6:36) How an air spade works (8:10) What n...

Mar 16, 202324 minSeason 3Ep. 11
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